The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-04-28
BIG GAME IN ALASKA.

KILLING TWO ALASKAN GRIZzLIEs-BEAR
MEAT GAMY IN FLvvOR-sALMoS.
Arriving at the camp on Icy bay we
found things generally about as we had
expected. 1t had rained, however, a
great deal at this camp in the way OF
constant light showers, although we had
not had single shower even on the trip
inland, the equivalent being fogs and
clouds in the upper strata of the atmos-
phere. Dalton, the keeper of the camp
during our absence, had succeeded ID
killing two Alaskan grizzly bears, or
brown bears, think they are more pro
perry called (being the northern variety
of the cinnamon bear, so called, OF
the Rocky mountains), the two being a
a mother and her cub. He had also
wounded another, huge fellow, which
managed to escape into the timber, where
Dalton had too much good bear sense to
follow it. He believed however, that be
had fatally wounded it, but it being too
dark IN the deep, gloomy forest TO go Ill
and examine the wounds carefully to as
certain whether they were fatal or not,
the Investigation was not prosecuted
further. The larger of the two grizzly
bears he killed was a huge beast, and
must have been some eight feet ID length
ali hough no measurements were taken,
the skin being worthless as robe at
that season OF the year, and consequent
ly was thrown away before our return.
Tie meat of the mother was, to pnt 1t
mildly, very gamy in flavor, and as Dial
ton was alone, and the bear cub meat
was ever so much better, the former was
only sampled, with the conclusion to let
1t alone We had some of the latter up
on our return, and it certainly was not
bad eatiug-at least after our long alb
stinence from fresh meat.
The bear at this season lives IN whole
or in part on salmon and seal, aud as the
latter lives on fish too, Mr.. and Mrs.
Bruin directly and indirectly live great
deal on the product OF the sea and rivers,
with a consequent effect of not adding
to the flavor of their meat as judged
from the standpoint of the average hu-
man palate The Alaskan brown bear,
however, III living on seals will not, as
lar as l can ascertain, partake OF the
putrid remains of that animal, as does
the polar bear to my certain X knowledge,
and therefore never has the wild, racy
originality in favor of the latter, which
has occasioued SO much comment among
Arctic travellers as to the palatablilty Of
polar bear meat, and which really de
ponds on whether they have caught the
northern bear favored IN this way or
not. The brown bear catches its on the
beach, but never above high tide; and If
the entire phocidian IS rot devoured at
one meal he is washed away by the tide
on the next, or so covered with sand as
to be buried ont Of sight. The polar
bear, on the contrary catches It's seal on
the ice, often staying numbers at time,
if they are thick, and leaving their bodies
to mellow" in the sun for its depraved
appetite.
| have also said that the Alaskan
brown bear lives to no small extent Oh
salmon, which they find ascending the
river TO spawn in the spring and summer,
and as many of these fish die In their
ascent and are thrown upon the bank to
rot and decay, this does not tend to i'm.
prove the meat of the bear any more
than did the seal. These salmon swarm
il come of the Alaskan rivers, and a ca
noe going up or down some Of the small
er shallow streams have ripping Semi
circle il front of them about twenty or
thirty feet distant that looks like small
rapid in the course of the stream, being
a curve of salmon just below the waters
surface trying to escape the coming
boat--Lieut Schwatka in New York
Times.